The St. Louis Film Festival

St. Louis International Film Festival artistic director Chris Clark’s office walls in Grand Center are crowded with film posters. Marketing materials are stacked neatly on the front of his desk. In the final push before the festival’s opening night, Clark is confident that the entries this year deliver on its very clear mission.

“What we look for is the best, newest, freshest stories told from unique perspectives,” he said.

The 23rd annual St. Louis International Film Festival opens next week with a very St. Louis love story.

“The Makings of You,” starring Sheryl Lee of “Twin Peaks” as Judy and Jay R. Ferguson of “Mad Men” as Wallis, tells the story of a romance between two lonely St. Louisans. Director Matt Amato, a St. Louis native, returned to St. Louis when he began working on the film in June 2013.

“It’s a genuine St. Louis product from top to bottom,” Amato told “Cityscape” host Steve Potter on Friday.

Robert Hunt, who is already firmly established as our most prolific correspondent, has been writing on film for nearly 30 years, appearing in an array of publications, both here and elsewhere. His lengthiest association was with the Riverfront Times, where he served as a film and DVD critic in the 1980s and '90s.